As I drove three of my parishoners into town today, I commented on the long lines of washing hanging outside an Amish house. I said something about how hard life is for the Amish, and wondered whether they have those washing machines that you crank.
It turns out that they have washing machines with motors run by gasoline.
They can't drive cars, but they can ride in cars -- fueled by gas.
They can't run electric appliances, but they can run washers fueled by gas.
And here I was under the impression that Reformed theology can be hard to understand.
Those Amish who need office equipment have huge generators to supply the power for Fax machines, etc. If you ever stop in one of the fast food places across from the Wooster Walmart, you will see a whole crew of Amish men, many with beards meaning they are married, whipping out their cell phones when they ring.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on which local bishop allows what. Coblenz furniture on Rte. 250 out of Apple Creek has gas ceiling lights and a nice working restroom.
Theology is all relative apparently. The Amish split off from the Mennonites "back when" and are more strict than the original church they split from.
Eve